Journal of Scientif c Exploration, Vol. 32, No. 2, pp. 261–293, 2018 0892-3310/18 RESEARCH ARTICLE Observer Effects on Quantum Randomness: Testing Micro-Psychokinetic Effects of Smokers on Addiction-Related Stimuli MARKUS A. MAIER *
[email protected] MORITZ C. DECHAMPS * Department of Psychology, Ludwig Maximilians University, Munich, Germany * Shared first authorship Submitted September 26, 2017; Accepted February 16, 2018; Published June 30, 2018 doi: https://doi.org/10.31275/2018.1250 Abstract—A vivid discussion revolves around the role of the human mind in the quantum measurement process. While some authors argue that con- scious observation is a necessary element to achieve the transition from quantum to classical states during measurement (Wigner 1963), some go even further and propose a more active influence of the human mind on the probabilities of quantum measurement outcomes (e.g., Atmanspacher, Römer, & Walach 2002, Penrose & Hameroff 2011). This proposition was tested in micro-psychokinesis (micro-Pk) research in which intentional ob- server effects on quantum random number generators (RNGs) were investi- gated. In the studies presented here, we extended this line of research and tested the impact of unconscious goals on micro-Pk. Our focus was ciga- rette addiction as an unconscious drive, and we hypothesized that regular cigarette smokers would influence the outcome of a quantum RNG that determined whether the participant was going to see a smoking-related or a neutral picture. Study 1 revealed strong evidence for micro-Pk (BF = 66.06), supporting H1. As expected, no deviation from chance was found with non-smokers. In Study 2, a pre-registered highly powered replication attempt failed to reproduce this result and showed strong evidence for H0 (BF = 11.07).